Comments on: Blake and Shelley skated this morning, but don't expect to see either play before Canada triphttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2009/11/19/blake-and-shelley-skated-this-morning-but-dont-expect-to-see-either-play-before-canada-trip/
David Pollak and Curtis Pashelka on the San Jose SharksSun, 02 Aug 2015 04:11:00 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3By: yhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2009/11/19/blake-and-shelley-skated-this-morning-but-dont-expect-to-see-either-play-before-canada-trip/comment-page-2/#comment-30048
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:50:23 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-30048Kyle,

At least you waited a whole 10 minutes between phone calls….

]]>By: WI JPhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2009/11/19/blake-and-shelley-skated-this-morning-but-dont-expect-to-see-either-play-before-canada-trip/comment-page-2/#comment-30047
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:05:56 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-30047If the game was only played in the offensive zone, then H., C. & Pavs would work well, but I can’t see them excelling in defensive transition. Can you picture Pavs and / or Clowe catching up with an odd man rush? Or, the coach emphasizing defensive responsibilities to Heatley, who obviously came to town to score goals?

I think you have to factor speed, skill and strength into both the offensive and defensive equation.

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:58:44 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-30046Kyle,
May have been the greasy mitts.
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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:40:07 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-30045I scored tickets for the game tonight. I want Kate to go with me but she won’t answer my phone calls. I’ve called every 10 minutes or so all morning. Has anyone heard from her? I don’t know what’s wrong.
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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:59:17 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-30044#60
Agreed completely! Like I said before, Pavs and Heater when on the ice together were on fire and crashed the net HARD…I like the floater description…very imaginative. Marleau has the ability to create plays on his own and the patience to wait for Thornton to get set up.
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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:35:44 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-29988re post by re quest
my sincerest if you are re reading

– Kate

KatesDiary says:
November 19th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

Dear Diary,
Dinner at Kyles house was…well, different. I know it’s dangerous to go to the house of someone you just met online, but I was hungry, my radio was busted, and my internet was down so I had no choice.

I got there right when the game started so I wouldn’t to talk as much. Thank goodness Dan and Jaime were already on when I arrived. Kyle looks exactly the way you think he does and the meal wasn’t half bad. We had to eat by candlelight though; the kitchen lights were too bright for his mom who was sleeping in the room next to us. But this guy you used every trick in the book to invade my personal space! I tried to get away by sitting on the far corner of the couch but he couldn’t take a hint. I thought I was going to have to use my pepper spray when he grabbed my hand with his greasy mitts! That was all I could take! I jumped up and grabbed my purse and as I passed him he leered at me and made an absolutely filthy remark to me about becoming a “frequent flyer”. I will never do that again.

– Kate

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:32:11 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-29989Saw the practice… Thornton – Marleau – Heatley will be a great 1st line for the Canadian Olympic team.
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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:22:45 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-30043I was watching Pronger against the Kings and I was struck by how well he skates, (no Danny Boyle mind you), but for a guy his size he is remarkably agile. It is clearly how he avoids getting 3 or more interference calls a game. He is (unfortunately) the total package on D and the reason the Flyers are a legit threat this year.
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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:20:39 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-30042When TM decided to put Heatley and Thornton together, my first thought was that it might not work because of the simple fact that both are left handed shots. Take the two places Thornton does most of his assist damage — the right halfboards and from behind the net, dishing passes out front (again, the passes come from the left side of the goalie). Neither is ideal for a left handed shot camping in the slot for a one-timer. Think about Cheechoo from his RR year, or Seto last year. It’s almost a perfect combo for a right handed shot to set up in the slot, open to the passer (Thornton) and ready to one-time a shot to the goal.

As an example, think about that goal Heatley had a few nights ago where he received a pass from the right-side defenseman and was like 5 feet out. It was a sweet goal, but most of what made the goal so sweet was Heatley’s ability to catch the pass, turn his body, and snap that wrister all in one motion. If he had been a right handed shot, it would have been an easy one timer.

Now you may say that Marleau is also a left handed shot, so how does switching him with Heatley change things…in this case I think it boils down to the type of player they are. Marleau has the ability to grind along the boards and fight to make plays. From what I’ve seen of Heatley, he seems to kinda float around until he’s open. He’s horrible along the boards and doesn’t win puck battles. A Marleau type of player works well with Thornton because Thornton is also a floater, waiting to make that perfect pass. Two floaters on one line means a weak cycle down low, and probably a turnover along the boards at some point.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Heatley could easily hit 50 goals this season playing Jumbo’s line, but I feel like Marleau on that top line instead could make it unstoppable. They certainly were at many points last season. Heatley on the 2nd line also pairs him up with Pavs, who is a good grinder, thinker, and of course, a right-handed shot.

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:09:59 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=2393#comment-29987Marleau12- Seto, Pavs, Clowe, Thronton, Marleau, Heatley. Mix and match all you want, as long as a passer and a shooter are on each line. I am in total agreement. We are only in November. We have several months for Tmac to experiment.

Does anyone actually think we won’t make the playoffs? We will. The only question is which combination of lines will get us deep, or get us the cup. We have the talent. All about coaching. And of course, injuries.